Presentation to winner of the LafargeHolcim Building Better Recognition (l-r): Daniel Bach, Area Manager LafargeHolcim for South East Asia and China congratulates Milinda Pathiraja, Director, Partner & Co-Founder, Robust Architecture Workshop, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The design for a community library in Ambepussa, Sri Lanka, built with the support of former army personnel engaged in the nation’s civil war, shows that “turning swords into ploughshares” can be realized even today.
The slip-form, rammed- earth wall construction process is projected as an opportunity to transfer technology to locals/soldiers. The subsequent training tasks are planned at an early design stage called “fabrication and training design”. Here, various components of the system and mould-work are delineated, the fabrication/training tolerances are defined, the production site (training ground), minimum module and sample labour gang (for training) are established, and fabrication steps are laid out.
Presentation of the Global Silver Award 2015: celebration of prize winners Ganga Ratnayake and Milinda Pathiraja (center) of Robust Architecture Workshop, Colombo and team members.
3D view of the proposed library: The single-story building mass spans nonchalantly across the landscape, touching the earth as lightly as possible. The building informally wraps around an internal courtyard that is also an extension of the external landscape. The placement of the building on site retains all existing trees, while its linear footprint allows optimized natural ventilation and brings in sunlight to all internal rooms; rammed earth walls provide thermal mass.
The army's human resource is assimilated for social building through carefully planned, on-site training initiatives. This reduces immediate labour costs and produces a skilled workforce, whose training expenditure is internalized within the project, thus saving on social cost.
Presentation of the Global Silver Award 2015 including prize winners Ganga Ratnayake (holding trophy) and Milinda Pathiraja (holding certificate) of Robust Architecture Workshop, Colombo and team members, representatives of the Sri Lankan Army, LafargeHolcim, and the Global Awards jury.
Presentation of the Holcim Awards Bronze 2014 for "Post-War Collective: Community library and social recuperation, Ambepussa, Sri Lanka" (l-r): Aiden Lynam, Holcim Area Manager South Asia; Ian Thackwray, Holcim Exco Member Asia Pacific; winners Milinda Pathiraja and Ganga Ratnayake; H.E. Anoja Wijeyesekera, Ambassador of Sri Lanka; and Philippe Richart, CEO Holcim Lanka.
Social Capital: The army's human resource is assimilated for social building through carefully planned on-site training initiatives. This reduces immediate labor costs and produces a skilled workforce.
The slip-form, rammed earth wall construction process is projected as an opportunity to transfer technology to locals and former soldiers. The subsequent training tasks are planned at an early design stage called “fabrication and training design”. Here, various components of the system and moldwork are delineated, the fabrication/training tolerances are defined, the production site (training ground), minimum module and sample labor gang (for training) are established, and fabrication steps are laid out.
How real building projects can transfer knowledge and build skills is the key to Milinda Pathiraja’s Holcim Awards Bronze winning project. “Post-War Collective: Community library and social recuperation” in Ambepussa, Sri Lanka aims to reintegrate former soldiers into post-civil war society. Young men from underprivileged backgrounds are trained in building techniques through their involvement in the construction of public buildings – such as this Community Library.
Following over 25 years of civil war, the reintegration of young soldiers is one of the great challenges facing Sri Lanka. This Community Library retrained a labor force geared for combat with building skills to equip them for post-military life. The slender building sits lightly in the landscape and wraps around an inner courtyard, taking full advantage of cross ventilation and daylighting. Rammed-earth walls and recycled materials reduce costs and the ecological footprint.
By Milinda Pathiraja - Robust Architecture Workshop, Colombo, Sri Lanka and
Ideas: Conflict & Emergency, Inclusion, Economic & Social Empowerment, Responsibly Sourced Materials, Circular Materials & Building Components
Following over 25 years of civil war, the reintegration of young soldiers is one of the great challenges facing Sri Lanka. This Community Library retrained a labor force geared for combat with building skills to equip them for post-military life.
The slender building sits lightly in the landscape and wraps around an inner courtyard, taking full advantage of cross ventilation and daylighting. Rammed-earth walls and recycled materials reduce costs and the ecological footprint.
Project authors
Robust Architecture Workshop
Sri Lanka
